Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Laurel Canyon

This is topic Laurel Canyon in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 04-06-2003, 11:11 AM:

AMC Hamilton, 4/5/2003, 5:15 PM matinee. Hall #17, attendance ~50 -- excellent turnout for an arty film doubled up in its 2nd week.

Long version: Jane is a famous record producer in L.A. Her son just graduated medical school and goes out West to be an intern in the psycho ward of a local hospital. His girlfriend tags along yet needs some space to finish her PhD dissertation. That space is upstairs in Jane's place. Jane also has over this band that's cutting an album in her home studio. Not only that, the band's record label is on her ass because the label wants a single out for Xmas.

Short version: Sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll.

Frances McDormand has a star turn as Jane. Otherwise this movie is eminently forgettable. Laurel Canyon finishes what Nirvana and their cohorts in Seattle started -- expose L.A. rock for the shallow scene it was/is.

Presentation: Image looked kind of soft -- a blowup from 16mm? Sound lacked punch -- I've seen more arty pictures with better sound mixes. Also, Laurel Canyon was on 7 reels when it could easily have fit on 6. R1 and R7 were both short. [Embarrassed]

AMC set up a good preshow. Trailers ran arty-mainstream-arty-mainstream-arty (Le Divorce, Holes, The Good Thief, Bruce Almighty, Confidence). Ahhhh, 2 French-set pix among the 5, both going out via Fox in the US. [Big Grin]

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 04-14-2003, 01:55 PM:

This film was utterly non-enjoyable for me and the group I was with. After it was over, we lamented the fact that almost two hours of our lives were spent watching this.

Frances McDormand did a great job of acting, but that doesn't matter when the story is a dead-end.

The one highlight, though, had to be the eccentricity of the lead singer, Ian McKnight. His comic relief helped keep us from leaving early due to impatience.

Highly unrecommended.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-09-2003, 10:14 PM:

I finally saw this and rather enjoyed it. No, it's not likely to be remembered in twenty years, but the performances are excellent and the film does an excellent job of setting the right mood for the audience, with a nice dose of humor mixed in with the sex and drugs. Frances McDormand is great, as always.